Buildings, such as for example residential buildings, are typically covered by sloping roof planes. The interior portion of the building located directly below the sloping roof planes forms a space called an attic. If unventilated or under-ventilated, condensation can form on the interior surfaces within the attic. The condensation can cause damage to various building components within the attic, such as for example insulation, as well as potentially causing damage to the building structure of the attic. In addition, unventilated or under-ventilated spaces are known to cause ice blockages (“ice dams”) on the sloping roof planes. The ice blockages can cause water to damage portions of the various building components forming the roof and the attic.
Accordingly it is known to ventilate attics, thereby helping to prevent the formation of condensation. Some buildings are formed with structures and mechanisms that facilitate attic ventilation. The structures and mechanisms can operate in active or passive manners. An example of a structure configured to actively facilitate attic ventilation is an attic fan. An attic fan can be positioned at one end of the attic, typically adjacent an attic gable vent, or positioned adjacent a roof vent. The attic fan is configured to exhaust air within the attic and replace the exhausted air with fresh air.
Examples of structures configured to passively facilitate attic ventilation include ridge vents and soffit vents. Ridge vents are structures positioned at the roof ridge, which is the intersection of the uppermost sloping roof planes. In some cases, the ridge vents are designed to cooperate with the soffit vents, positioned near the gutters, to allow a flow of air to enter the soffit vents, travel through a space between adjoining roof rafters to the attic, travel through the attic and exit through the ridge vents.
US Published Patent Application Pub. No. 20100112932, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a ridge vents configured to cover an open ridge of a roof and allow a flow of air to exit from the open ridge through the ridge vents. Prior art FIGS. 1 and 2 are from US Published Patent Application Pub. No. 20100112932.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate a typical roof construction. The structural members of the roof may comprise a plurality of support members 18, such as the illustrated rafters or trusses (not shown). The upper ends of the illustrated rafters meet at, and are attached to, a ridge beam 22, Sub-roofing or sheathing 24, typically comprising plywood panels, is secured to the support members 18. Conventional shingles 26 may be nailed to the sheathing 24 to finish the sloping portions of the roof in accordance with accepted construction practice. Conventional cap shingles 30 may then be employed in over lapping fashion to cover the peak of the roof, above the ridge beam 22. A ridge vent 10 is interposed between the cap shingles 30 and the underlying, compositely formed portions of the roof.
A slot 12 is provided along the length of the peak of the roof to provide a passageway for venting air from the underlying attic area. The ends of the slot are spaced from the opposite ends of peak. The ridge vents include a center portion 32 having a length and a plurality of grooves. Left and right portions 34, 36 are connected to the center portion. The center portion is configured to flex along its length, thereby forming a ridge vent angle β between the left and right portions. The formed ridge vent angle β is configured to correspond with a slope between roof decks defining the open ridge. The ridge vent 10 overlies the slot 12, thus providing a primary barrier for preventing entry of water, and other foreign matter, into the attic area.
Various objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the invention, when read in light of the accompanying drawings. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are for illustrative purposes and are not to be construed as defining the limits of the invention.